Obtuse Times

The real Ahlam Tamimi you didn't read about in The Times.

From reading the New York Times' review of the Israeli documentary Hot House, an account of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli jails, one would be left with the impression that Ahlam Tamimi, the smiling young woman featured in a large color portrait atop the story, is a kindhearted person, an anomalous presence behind bars. Her smooth, youthful skin perspires slightly beneath the hijab that frames her face; she is looking into the camera, head tilted slightly, straight white teeth shining, a look of contentment and pride in her eyes. What could someone like her be doing in prison?

You wouldn't know the answer to that question from the photo caption, which reads: "Ahlam Tamimi in a scene from the documentary ‘Hot House.' Ms. Tamimi is among about 10,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails." The only reference to her in Neil Genzlinger's review says, "A former Palestinian newscaster, Ahlam Tamimi, recalls the day she dropped a suicide bomber off at his target, then coolly went on television to report on the resulting bombing."

But this, too, is troublingly incomplete: Tamimi was much more than a simple and perhaps unwitting means of transportation for a suicide bomber. And the suicide bombing in question, which is never mentioned in the review, was one of the most gruesome and deadly of the Intifada: it was the Sbarro pizzeria bombing in downtown Jerusalem that murdered 15 people (17, if one wishes to count the baby being carried by a pregnant woman and another victim who was left in a permanent coma). Eight of the slaughtered were children, a detail that could not have gone unnoticed by Tamimi's accomplice as he made his way through the crowd of restaurant patrons with an explosives- and shrapnel-packed guitar case slung over his shoulder.

Tamimi, who at the time of the attack was a 20-year-old part-time university student from Ramallah, and the bomber, a 22-year-old son of affluent West Bank parents, were members of Hamas. The planning and reconnaissance for the attack were carried out also by Tamimi, and on the day of the attack Tamimi and her accomplice dressed as westerners and spoke English in order to pass through the checkpoints between Arab East Jerusalem and Jewish West Jerusalem. In 2006 Tamimi was given a rare opportunity to be interviewed in prison, and declared: "I'm not sorry for what I did. I will get out of prison and I refuse to recognize Israel's existence. Discussions will only take place after Israel recognizes that this is Islamic land."

If the editors of the Times were familiar with the easily-obtainable details of her story but nonetheless chose to present her in the manner they did, they are moral cretins. And if they didn't bother to investigate the reason for her incarceration, they are more than just poor journalists -- they are willfully obtuse ones, reluctant to dig too deeply into a story whose particularities would be troublesome to the aesthetic presentation demanded by the preferred narrative -- a narrative captured perfectly when Genzlinger avers that "by the end of ‘Hot House' you may feel more than a little annoyance at the two sides in this endless conflict. These enemies know each other absurdly well. They learn from each other, and talk openly about doing so. Yet they can't seem to break the cycle: a cat and mouse addicted to their own game." Beliefs like this are both cowardly and convenient: They allow journalists to remain ensconced in their preferred moral universe, one in which there is equivalence between terrorist and victim and conflict only continues because of an intransigence, even a thirst for combat, that is shared equally by both sides.

I wonder whether the Times editors would portray an abortion clinic bomber or Ku Klux Klan member in the way they have presented Tamimi? Can one even imagine such a photograph of an Israeli settler? In selecting the glowing portrait of Tamimi to accompany the Hot House review, and in neglecting to provide essential context, the Times editors made a judgment about the moral characteristics of the attack: A judgment that if made differently would have demanded a photograph of a disfigured survivor, or a portrait of the shattered visage of parents who will be tortured forever by the unspeakable horror of knowing that their children's bodies were torn to pieces by the nails and screws of a bomb that was delivered to its target by Ahlam Tamimi -- a woman who has been given the opportunity to grin at them satisfyingly by the Times editors.

Frimet and Arnold Roth, whose 15-year-old daughter was one of Tamimi's victims, are courageously trying to influence the moral sentiments of people who see Hot House, or who even only read the Times' coverage of it. Arnold Roth wrote in reaction to the Times's review:

"Neither the New York Times nor HBO are likely to give even a moment's attention to the victims of the barbarians who destroyed the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem and the lives of so many victims. So we would be grateful if you would pass along this link to some pictures of our daughter whose name was Malki. She was unable to reach her twenties -- Hamas saw to that.

Though she was only fifteen years old when her life was stolen from her and from us, we think Malki was a beautiful young woman, living a beautiful life. We ask your help so that other people -- far fewer than the number who will see the New York Times, of course -- can know about her. Please ask your friends to look at the pictures -- some of the very few we have -- of our murdered daughter. They are at http://www.kerenmalki.org/photo.htm.

With so many voices demanding that Israel release its terrorist prisoners, small wonder she's smiling."

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 14

(14)
Anonymous,
December 27, 2011 11:13 PM

I just linked my Jewish web site to this article.

I just linked my Jewish web site to this article.
My Jewish web site is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DerechEmet/

(13)
ARTHUR PEARL,
September 5, 2007 1:10 PM

outragaeous

Once again the New York Times in their review demonstrated the immorality and lack of any ethical conscience to present the truth.

(12)
Jacque,
August 23, 2007 9:39 PM

peaceful religion?

hmmmmmmmm.maybe i need to check my spelling. i thought if a father told his son/daughter to strap a bomb around them and detonate it in a crowd of non-islamics, it was a pieceful religion--not peaceful religion.

(11)
Anonymous,
August 22, 2007 1:52 AM

JOURALISM WITHOUT MORALITY:The New York Times coverage of the "Hot House" documentary makes one shudder at the contrast of a prominent photo of a smiling murderess and the avoidance of detail of her role in the horrendous slaughter of 15 people. Is this type of reportage really "News that's fit to print?"....

(10)
Anonymous,
August 21, 2007 10:45 PM

Arab prisoners are seen; what about Israeli prisoners?

The Arab prisoners held by Israel are seen by others including journalists and the Red Cross. It's a shame that we can't say the same for Israelis that have been captured by the Arabs. What is even a bigger shame is that nobody cares to do anything about the fact that we have no idea where the Israelis are and that the Red Cross is not permitted contact with them.

(9)
dicken hall,
August 20, 2007 2:48 AM

"Peaceful Religion" ??

Another expose by the New York Times about a member of the "Peaceful Religion".

(8)
Ilse Lutz,
August 19, 2007 10:01 PM

A heart breaking story, she is so beautiful

I will pray for the parents of Malki,may the GOD of Abraham Isaak and Jacobgive you peace, and be with you always.

(7)
Joseph Abdel Wahed,
August 19, 2007 9:09 PM

VERY obtuse Times

The NY Times has been biased against Israel for a long time. I have long ago stopped reading its rubbish. American Jews should take an ad in the Times to protest its unethical and immoral bias.This is not journalism. It is racism.

(6)
Gary Katz,
August 19, 2007 6:23 PM

Tamimi should rot in prison

When Palestinians whine about the thousands of their brethren in Israeli jails, they don't mention how many of them are like Tamimi, or would have carried out similar terror if they hadn't been caught. I wonder what Tamimi would think if she viewed the photos of Malki. Would she still not be sorry for what she did? Her view that Israel is on "Islamic land" is the typical ethnic cleansing sentiment of Hamas and other Islamojihadists. I wonder if her parents influenced her path to a barbaric automaton. A person like Tamimi should not see the light of freedom as long as Malki's parents live.

(5)
Robert Marmor,
August 19, 2007 4:14 PM

The Times management is either stupid or scared of Islamic terrorists

This is NYTimes' so called even-handed reporting. In fact it is difficult to differentiate it's news reports from it's editorial positions. The credibility of the Times is at an all-time low.Nothing will change until the ownership changes

(4)
Kent,
August 19, 2007 3:53 PM

Thank U

Thank you for this important article. It must have taken a lot of courage and strenght to write it. I pray that G-d will bless and comfort your hearts! I can tell that Malki was a good person, and I was impressed by what that young lady wrote on her cell phone. So hereby, in her honor, I take upon my self the mitzvah of not gossiping, but only talking truly and kindly.

(3)
ruth housman,
August 19, 2007 2:27 PM

a chilling commentary

What terrifies me most is that there are people who insist on thinking and feeling that there is any justification for the bloodshed wrought by suicide bombings and all other acts of obscene terror. The true terror is knowing there are people who reason in an unreasoning way, who exhibit a terrifying lack of empathic humanity for others. Doesn't it matter that we are people and have beating hearts. How different is anyone from another? As for children, they are the promise of a better world, of our collective future. That means ALL of us. This means, the world. Who could deny the innocence of children?

There is no raison d'etre that I can understand, no alchemy of words, that can turn an act of terror into an act of love, and yet there are people who believe so deeply and hate so deeply, and who even feel triumph, over acts for which there are no words, only endless sorrow.

(2)
Stan Corbett,
August 19, 2007 11:22 AM

Enough with Palestine

Enough with Palestine. The Palestinians do not want Israel to exist, hate Jewish people and do not want peace. It has been nearly 60 years since Israel has become a nation and the Palestinians still have not said that they will end their aggression against Israel. They care not who they kill or injure. Suicide bombers have murdered other Muslims and Christians along with Jewish people. Various Israeli governments have offered multitutes of benefits to Palestinians and they still attack Israel. It is time to say that the window of opportunity has closed. No negotiations with the murderous regime for at least ten years. That would mean no trade, no release of prisioners and closing the borders. If not, then we will see the cancerous Palestinians slowly eating at the heart of Israel and Judaism until they win.

(1)
Howard Newman,
August 19, 2007 10:24 AM

Thank you for printing the truth

Thank you for sharing and for reminding us of the unremiting evil of our enemy and the willing complicity of the liberal fools who will surely be the first to go if their darling Islamo fascists are ever sucessful.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!